EE1

Sarah Heermann

Writ Extended Essay 1

4/30/2012

I’ll Have the Salad

If you see a woman order a salad, do you think much of it? Do those feelings change if you see a man order one? The different values we hold for each gender as an American culture affects how and what we eat. This bias can be seen easily through the media and ads for food, a bias that we see every day but no longer recognize the influence they have. Women and men strive to be portrayed differently in our society based on different values we associate with each gender.  The marketing industry and companies understand and focus on these to use them in a way that best benefits them. These different values are so strong they affect what we chose to eat, especially in front of others. Each gender is targeted differently in ads, and attempt to attract the gender that is not associated with a certain type of food in order for the company to gather more customers. In this essay I will analyze two ads that exemplify the values our culture places on gender and how these affect what we eat.

In the American society, women are traditionally thought of as eating healthier, fresh foods that will allow them to keep a slim figure, while men are thought of as eating a diet mostly consisting of fatty foods containing a large dose of protein.  Theses cultural values are shown through our advertisement and portrayal of the two genders in the media. The characteristic associated with females the most is attractiveness level, and this is based mostly upon physical physic and thinness. Models are often looked at as the “ideal” female, and desirability equates to thinness. According to Alternet.com, nearly 25% of models are underweight. This website also displayed the following statistic.

 A study by the American Psychological Association found that after three minutes spent looking at a fashion magazine, 70% of women felt "depressed, guilty, and ashamed." Vogue and its ilk are banned in most eating disorder clinics because they know it sends their clients spiraling. The magazine has done real harm to ordinary women. It super-charged the trend for bone-thin models with Twiggy in 1965, and it popularized the bogus idea of "cellulite" in 1973: before then, it was just considered normal female flesh. (Hari)

The rate for eating disorders among teenage women are on the rise, and in the past few years there has even been an increase in teenage men eating disorders, however on a much lower frequency. (Hari)

This bias can show up in what we feed our children even as young as a year old. According to a study done by Cornell University, gender bias affected the weight of children and how they grew:

 Gender bias in energy and protein intake favored boys; the magnitude for ages 2-5 y was 247 kJ/d. Analysis of subsequent effects showed that boys had higher rates of weight gain due to gender bias in energy intake than did girls for ages 1-2 y (0.27-0.97 kg/y), when there were no differences in illness rates due to gender bias in energy intake. For ages 1-2 years for weight and stature, the growth rate for boys was faster than that of girls by 6-49% due to gender bias. (Frongillo)

By raising our children under this bias they become accustomed to this norm, and are conditioned unconsciously to make choices for meals that are gender biased, just as they were fed growing up.

            The influence the media has on each gender has promoted advice on weight control to be a prominent topic, especially among the web. The difference in our eating is also seen by the type of advice on eating we receive and the bias in this advice.  In a website of tips for healthy eating for women, HelpGuide.org, they advise that women eat mostly fruit and vegetables, to cut back on coffee and alcohol, and to not eat much protein. (Smith) The suggestion to the lack of protein and conscious eating is opposite to the advice given to men on a different website, MedicineNet.com, which actually suggests that men worry less about losing weight and should focus on cutting out junk food and trading water for their usual beverage to lose weight. (Sorgen) In the website for women they also stressed looking good to feel good; suggesting that eating healthy will lower your weight, make you thinner and simultaneously raise your happiness level. Such a suggestion and connection to happiness was missing among the advice to men, where the advice given was presented with an almost apologetic attitude that a man would have to resort to such feminine and drastic measures as dieting.

                        Marketers and all kinds of businesses associated with the food and drink industry are wise to take this gender bias that has become a part of our society and use it to their advantage.  One struggle for food companies is to sell their products to the opposite gender that is traditionally associated with their type of food. The following adds attempt to make their products seem more appealing to the gender less likely to buy their product.

My first advertisement is a unique Dunkin’ Donuts one.

This ad focuses on feminizing donuts, considered an unhealthy and masculine food, and making them appeal more to females. The coloring alone, all pink, instantly gives the feel of femininity, alone with the close up of the models face. An interesting aspect of the add was the instant attention to the mouth of the model and how her lips match the donut, but what was odd was that the mouth looks bigger than the donut. Perhaps they wanted to focus the attention away from what society and most women consider “sinful” food and instead draw the eye to the more glamorous portrayal of the donut with the mouth imitation. The intense eye make-up also has a purpose. It makes the model seem glitzy and thus the product they are selling seem more glamorous and fashionable, and in turn more feminine. The model has her eyes shut from what seems to be an overwhelming sensation from the donut. Her looking down further draws our eyes to focus on her lips otherwise we may be distracted looking into her eyes, which is what we instinctively concentrate on.

            The two simple words in this advertisement say a lot. Although they are small, they carry a big message. These simple words insinuate a sinful nature of giving into temptation. Since a fatty food such as a donut is not associated as a female food, eating such a donut could be considered as “giving into temptation” and falling off the beaten track of eating salads. A woman eating a donut doesn’t seem glamorous, and would likely not reflect positively on her in a social situation. Although many people would not have a problem or comment on a woman eating a donut, advertisers and the values our society hold makes a woman eating healthier foods seem more appealing. This social value is what this Dunkin’ Donut add is trying to cover up and fight in order to sell more product. As a result of this ad, woman may feel less scrutinized against or less guilty eating a donut, however the lengths the marketers go to make this product seem so feminine point to the deep rooted value of women eating healthy.

            This social assumption is one that I have felt and has affected how I have ordered in the past. Sitting in a restaurant with someone new I always struggle in thinking what to order, since I feel it reflects upon me. Women often go through an internal struggle of whether ordering a salad would make one look too self-conscious or a steak would make one look not conscious enough, especially on a first date. However, the trend from the 1930s of women ordering salad on the first date is fading, according to a New York Times article restaurants are finding that more and more women are eating steak on a first date than ever before. (Salkin) Men typically have the opposite problem. In a writing workshop for this research paper, a male classmate commented that as a man, he has worried that ordering a salad as a main dish was unacceptable.  

My second add I chose focuses more on how the masculine side of advertising is portrayed. Here the product is Pocky, an originally oriental snack that has a thin biscuit covered in chocolate. It usually is portrayed as a treat for women to indulge conservatively in. Pocky’s purposeful targeting of males is obvious (as seen in the photo below) in this instance since the original Pocky (the red package to the left) and the men’s Pocky (the green one to the right) have no difference in ingredients, but are packaged and sold as separate products.  Pocky uses the harsher words associated with masculinity to advertise their product as fit for manly consumption. The men’s version boldly state’s “The Super Snack” with the package explicitly stating Men’s before a thicker and straighter font of “Pocky”. The possessive form of men before the product name insinuates it is owned by men and is not for women.

As with the Dunkin’ Donuts ad, this Pocky ad is persuading its target audience to disobey the typical gender expectations. Here they attempt to make Pocky more masculine, but also appear like a fun snack to indulge in. The result is a mock-sophisticated kind of look. They dress the model in a tie and button-down shirt and have him drinking alcohol, a sign of wealth with his glass raised as if in mid-toast with you. The model’s raised eyebrow and smirk express his sarcastic attitude as does his messy and long hair, undone tie, and facial hair. This relaxed and casual feel makes the snack more appealing as one you could just sit down to eat casually without being judged, while the dressier aspects make Pocky appear to be a slightly classy snack. With the text “a serious snack at the bottom” it also seems to be making the statement that men are allowed to not be serious just as men are allowed to enjoy a feminine snack. Ironically, this can make one wonder why men were not allowed to eat Pocky or be goofy in the first place. This may make their audience in turn more conscious about the “social rules” and inadvertently undermine their attempt to make their audience rebel against these cultural values.

Even in food ads, the difference between how genders are presented can be seen. Women generally are associated with foods that are healthier and more self-conscious as an attempt to remain thin, while men are generally thought of as enjoying foods that are full of fat and meat and ooze hardcore masculinity. Food ads show us the values that we as a society have, and the dietary standards placed on genders in our culture controls the media. These values can affect what and how we eat when we are consciously aware of them, and what we order at the dinner table can reflect this cultural gender bias. This is especially true when we eat in front of others, as we become self-conscious about how others view us. So at your next social meal, what will you eat?

Resouces

Frongillo, Begin. "Gender bias in food intake."Pubmed.gov. Cornell University, 1993. Web. 24 Apr 2012. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8429367>.

Smith, Melinda. "EATING RIGHT TO LOOK AND FEEL YOUR BEST." Nutrition For Women. HelpGuide.org, 2012. Web. 24 Apr 2012. <http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_eating_women_nutrition.htm>.

Sorgen, Carol. "Experts offer some easy ways men can start making better food choices." Healthy Eating for the Average Guy. MedicineNet.org, 2012. Web. 24 Apr 2012. <http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=60537>.

Salkin, Allen. "Be Yourselves, Girls, Order the Rib-Eye."The New York Times. The New York Times, 2007. Web. 24 Apr 2012. 

Hari, Johann. "Our Thinness Obsesed Culture." AlterNet. Independent UK, n.d. Web. 27 Apr 2012. <http://www.alternet.org/reproductivejustice/142682/our_thinness_obsessed_culture_is_destroying_women/>.

Unit 1 Essay

Sarah Heermann

Writ short essay 2

Bringing Home the Bacon

The different values we hold for each gender as an American culture affects how and what we eat. This bias can be seen easily through the media and ads for food, a bias that we see every day but have become immune to. Women and men strive to be portrayed differently in our society based on different values we associate with each gender.  The marketing industry and companies understand and focus on these to use them in a way that best benefits them. These different values are so strong they affect what we chose to eat, especially in front of others. Each gender is focused upon in ads in different ways to try to attract the gender that is not associated with a certain type of food in order for the company to make more profits. In this essay I will analyze two ads that exemplify the values our culture places on gender and how these affect what we eat.

In the American society, women are traditionally thought of as eating healthier, fresh foods that will allow them to keep a slim figure, while men are thought of as eating a diet mostly consisting of fatty foods containing a large dose of protein. If you walk down a weight-loss isle in the grocery store you will find more products for staying fit and burning fat aimed toward women, and products for building muscle and products containing protein aimed toward men. This bias can show up in what we feed our children even as young as a year old. According to a study done by Cornell University, gender bias affected the weight of children and how they grew:

 Gender bias in energy and protein intake favored boys; the magnitude for ages 2-5 y was 247 kJ/d. Analysis of subsequent effects showed that boys had higher rates of weight gain due to gender bias in energy intake than did girls for ages 1-2 y (0.27-0.97 kg/y), when there were no differences in illness rates due to gender bias in energy intake. For ages 1-2 years for weight and stature, the growth rate for boys was faster than that of girls by 6-49% due to gender bias. (Frongillo)

By raising our children under this bias, they grow up thinking this is the norm, and are conditioned unconsciously to make choices for meals that are gender biased, just as they were fed growing up.

            The difference in our eating is also seen by the type of advice on eating we receive and the bias in this advice.  In a website of tips for healthy eating for women, HelpGuide.org, they advise that women eat mostly fruit and vegetables, to cut back on coffee and alcohol, and to not eat much protein. (Smith) The suggestion to the lack of protein and conscious eating is opposite to the advice given to men on a different website, MedicineNet.com, which actually suggests that men worry less about losing weight and focus on trading sandwiches for junk food. (Sorgen) In the website for women they also stressed looking good to feel good; suggesting that eating healthy will lower your weight, make you thinner and simultaneously raise your self-esteem. Such a suggestion and connection was missing among the advice to men, although a few websites focused on increased sex appeal and attention from the other gender.

                        Marketers and any and all kinds of businesses associated with the food and drink industry are wise to take this gender bias that has become a part of our society and use it to their advantage.  One struggle for food companies is to sell their products to the opposite gender that is traditionally associated with their type of food. The following adds attempt to make their products seem more appealing to the gender less likely to buy their product.

My first advertisement is a more unique Dunkin’ Donuts one.

This ad focuses on feminizing doughnuts, considered an unhealthy and masculine food, and making them appeal more to females. The coloring alone, all pink, instantly gives the add a feel of femininity, alone with the close up of the models face. An interesting aspect of the add was the instant attention to the mouth of the model and how her lips match the doughnut, but what was odd was that the mouth looks bigger than the doughnut. Perhaps they wanted to focus the attention away from what society and most women consider “sinful” food and instead draw the eye to the more glamorous portrayal of the donut with the mouth imitation. The intense eye make-up also has a purpose. It makes the model seem glitzy and thus the product they are selling seem more glamorous and fashionable, and in turn more feminine. Her looking down further draws our eyes to focus on her lips otherwise we may be distracted looking into her eyes, which is what we instinctively concentrate on.

            The two simple words in this advertisement say a lot. Although they are small, they carry a big message. These simple words insinuate a sinful nature of giving into temptation. Since a fatty food such as a doughnut is not associated as a female food, eating such a doughnut could be considered as “giving into temptation” and falling off the beaten track of eating salads. A woman eating a doughnut doesn’t seem glamorous, and would likely not reflect positively on her in a social situation. Although many people would not have a problem or publically comment on a woman eating a doughnut, advertisers and the values our society hold makes a woman eating healthier foods seem more appealing. This social value is what this Dunkin’ Donut add is trying to cover up and fight in order to sell more product. As a result of this ad, woman may feel less scrutinized against or guilty eating a doughnut, however the lengths the marketers go to make this product seem so feminine point to the deep rooted value of woman eating healthy.

            This social assumption is one that I have felt and has affected how I have ordered in the past. Sitting in a restaurant with someone new I always struggle in thinking what to order, since I feel it reflects upon me. I assume men feel this way too, but the internal struggle of whether ordering a salad would make you look too self-conscious or a steak would make you look not conscious enough is most likely not as strong. However the trend women had of ordering salad on the first date is fading, according to a New York Times article restaurants are finding that more and more women are eating steak at a first date than ever before. (Salkin)

My second add I chose focuses more on how the masculine side of advertising is portrayed.

Here Pocky uses the harsher words associated with masculinity to advertise their product as fit for manly consumption. Their purposeful targeting of males is obvious since the original Pocky (the red package to the left) and the men’s Pocky (the green one to the right) have no difference in ingredients, but are packaged and sold as separate products in an attempt to sell more.  They must have found that sales among men were low, and attempted to counteract that. It is judgmental for me to say so, but a man eating Pocky does not seem like a very hard-core man. The add I show does not counteract my cultural bias very efficiently. However, it does try to make Pocky seem more manly. First off, they have the model drinking hard alcohol, not only a sign of masculinity and toughness but also of wealth, another value that our society associates with men. The same could be said about him being dresses in a tie and button-down shirt. An interesting feature is how they lighten the mood of the add by having the model pose with a comical expression, his tie is slightly loosened, his hair is long and naturally flowing, and he has some five o’clock shadow on his face. This relaxed and casual feel makes the snack more appealing as one you could just sit down to eat casually, while the dressier aspects make Pocky appear to be a slightly classy drink also. 

            Even in food ads, the difference between how genders are presented can be seen. Women generally are associated with foods that are healthier and more self-conscious, while men are generally thought of as enjoying foods that are full of fat and meat. Food ads show us the values that we as a society have.  Women are thought of as to be or should be heath conscious and thin, eating fresh foods that contain little fat.  Men should be eating hearty, greasy foods that ooze hardcore masculinity. These values can affect what and how we eat when we are consciously aware of them, and what we order at the dinner table can reflect this cultural gender bias.

Resouces

Frongillo, Begin. "Gender bias in food intake."Pubmed.gov. Cornell University, 1993. Web. 24 Apr 2012. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8429367>.

(Frongillo)

Smith, Melinda. "EATING RIGHT TO LOOK AND FEEL YOUR BEST." Nutrition For Women. HelpGuide.org, 2012. Web. 24 Apr 2012. <http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_eating_women_nutrition.htm>.

(Smith)

Sorgen, Carol. "Experts offer some easy ways men can start making better food choices." Healthy Eating for the Average Guy. MedicineNet.org, 2012. Web. 24 Apr 2012. <http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=60537>.

(Sorgen)

Salkin, Allen. "Be Yourselves, Girls, Order the Rib-Eye."The New York Times. The New York Times, 2007. Web. 24 Apr 2012. 

(Salkin)

P5: Eating on the Go

In Horwitz’s “Eating at the Edge” he describes America’s changing eating pattern from one that focused on eating with family and friends, a special occasion to one that focuses instead on the TV in front of us or one that focuses on convenience eating. He uses the good example of  Campbell’s invention of soup in hand, where the eater doesn’t even have to stop walking to have a single serving of soup. The success of the TV dinner was another one of his examples of Americans being not only content with eating in solitude and on the go, but eager to embrace it. I am writing this essay while eating an instant, microwavable lunch of rice. I most definitely have embraced this “American “ value of food being fast and easy. This comfort Americans have compared with people from other nations was noticeable on the space station where the European astronauts made a stronger effort to eat meals together rather than on the go.

Something interesting he talked about was the different lives of American and how they affect their eating patterns. Students and the life of those in academia tent to eat on their own schedule, Horwitz explains "In contemporary American colleges and universities the rhythm of institutional food services and schedules coexists with that of the microwaves and refrigerators found in nearly every office and dorm room." (Horwitz, pg.46) The work of farmers is also task-oriented. Often dinner would not be until 8 or 9 at night at my house, since that was when my dad was home. My brother and I would come home and eat a snack my mom prepared to hold us until that late at night. Both academia and farming are task-oriented jobs, as opposed to clock-oriented jobs that get out at a set time. With clock-oriented jobs it would be easier to eat at a set time every day.

What to write now?

For my first essay I focused on how the town I was from affected how I ate and what I grew up eating. This was mostly German food of simple meat and potatoes, and being in an agricultural area we had plenty of sweet corn and fresh vegetables too.

In my second short essay I analyzed the differences between genders, how they eat differently, what society thinks of how they eat, and how this affects the ads and marketing and vice versa.  This was the most interesting essay for me, and one I will probably incorporate the most for the unit essay.

In the final essay I wrote about the differences between ethnic food and the Americanized version of it. Also how the location of a restaurant can affect what types and how customers act within them.

I can combine the all of these concepts with a general reflection on our society and what affects our choices to eat a certain way or eat certain foods.  Our background and history, our gender and societal values, and our tendency as Americans and individuals to change the original recipes to fit our personalized tastes all affect the choices we make on what to eat every day for every meal.

SE3: The American Way

Sarah Heermann

Writ short Essay 3

The American Way

The Italian restaurant I chose to eat at for this analysis had many features of an average Italian restaurant. White table cloth, served wine and noodles, and had soft guitar music playing in the background. However, it takes a second look to realize this is not really what an Italian restaurant should be.  Authentic Italian food should not come from a chain of restaurants, imbedded in the center of a massive shopping area, and served with alterations to fit a more “American” taste. Our American culture has changed our perception of all kinds of food, including Italian, and in an ironic twist this causes anything truly authentic to seem like a poser of what we believe to be authentic.  I sat in the Brio restaurant next to the Cherry Creek mall enjoying a meal for over an hour, and noted some interesting details that led me to these conclusions.

            The location of this restaurant has an effect on the types of customers it receives. Being next to a mall, many shoppers laden with bags come in during the day, most likely in a higher quantity than if the restaurant had a different location.  This causes the general crowd to have an overall more casual look and feel, since most shoppers wear everyday clothing and carry several paper and plastic sacks with them.  Brio is not like a scene in McDonald’s though, people dress up and come specifically to eat at Brio, so not all of the crowd are casual.

The décor in Brio does not reflect the more casual shoppers that come in during the day, but instead reflect the more dressy night time crowd that filters in for a more dressy meal that is still affordable.  The prices in Brio range from 10-40 dollars an entree, and placed next the high-class and more expensive restaurant Elway’s, Brio seems like a cheap option without offending your date. I am sure this is a factor with drawing people into the restaurant, as people usually show interest in the product that is second best if the price of the best is too high.  Inside it imitates the grandness of Elway’s and other high-class restaurants, if not over doing it.  It has waiters dressed in long-sleeved shirts and white table cloths, long and heavy decorative curtains, soft guitar music in the background and matching cloth drapes across the ceiling to draw the eye to the large chandeliers that hang in the center of the room. Additionally, they have several forks and spoons on the sides of the plates, several glasses out (one for each course of the meal i.e. wine glass, coffee cup) and the chairs have cloth tied in the back that makes it seem as though it is a special occasion.

I have been to Brio before during lunch, but this last time I have gone was for an evening meal, and the people behaved differently at night. Many were more dressed up, having come straight from home rather than the mall, they came in larger family groups or in pairs for a couples date, and at night they were generally more mindful of their manners (placing napkin on lap, knife sideways on the plate after use, etc.). Something more significant that I noticed was that the night time crowd never tried to do activities other than eating while at dinner, while the lunch crowd could be seen reading a book, looking at receipts, or even making phone calls.

More authentic restaurants would be smaller, not a part of a chain restaurant that appeals to the masses and would prepare the food using more Italian methods rather than Italian inspired American dishes. Americanizing ethnic foods is very popular among chain restaurants. Just like any large corporation that seeks to gain the approval of the masses, changing their product to appeal to a more “American” taste just makes sense especially when considering profits. According to “La Gazzetta Italiana”, only one-third of supposed Italian food actually come s from Italy.  Freshness and quality after being shipped is also in question. (Janice Therese) Of course under these new considerations few people will ever have “true” Italian food, but even the recipes involved in cooking and methods of production have differed to appeal to a more American taste. Authentic Italian food comes in smaller portions, with much simpler ingredients, uses less cheese and toppings if none at all, and most surprisingly to me Italians do not use tomato sauce at all. They focus on freshness, and make meals from scratch so waiting a long time for a meal is a major difference. (Ledblimp, 2010)

The restaurant Brio is one I always look forward to eating at. The food here of course is Americanized, being part of a large corporate chain that want to sell food in mass quantities, but this restaurant is still one of my favorites. It has the convenient location of being close to the mall, which affects the types of customers it gets, but it also has an atmosphere of grandness in both decoration, good quality of food, and service without the hefty price prices that are perhaps a more unique and authentic restaurant would have.  All in all, I prefer the American way.

Resources

Janice Therese, M. [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.lagazzettaitaliana.com/italian-food-american-history.aspx

Ledblimp. (2010, August). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.lifeinitaly.com/forum/threads/11472-Differences-between-Italian-amp-American-style-Italian-food

research for SE3

http://www.lagazzettaitaliana.com/italian-food-american-history.aspx

In my next short essay I want to explore the Americanization of Italian food, and how large chains like Brio (where I chose to do my research) appear to be small and authentic Italian restaurants.

P4: We Are Not So Different After All

As I have mentioned in an earlier post, food has a strong connection to history as well as the present. In this first article by O’Donnell where he talks about the history of china and how the transition from fish to beef was associated with the switch from communism to capitalism. This article has been my favorite that we have read so far. With the mix between history, culture and sociology it kept me interested, and it addressed the issue from several different angles.

Anyways, the article discussed the changing culture from one that valued a more community oriented and valued self-sacrifice to one that valued individualism and focused on competition (even in immoral ways) to get ahead. Self-sacrifice was a main disappearing cultural value that the author focused on, and interviewed an elderly lady about why eating cornbread was considered special. His comparison between the fishermen being fast and cunning to the beef eaters that are slow was amusing.  But it should be noted that cows can run fast, and fish do not have horns or an aggressive nature.

The second article by Cate was also interesting and kind of touching. I often have an incorrect idea that all men in prison have lost their human traits, or are so hard core and that they prefer to do everything alone. The picture of the three inmates praying over a creative concoction of ramen noodles was like a reality slap to the face. I instantly felt sympathy and compassion I would not have felt if I had simply just seen them sitting at the table. I felt instantly connected to them in a juvenile thought of “hey I do that too!” this entire article made me realize how separated and dehumanized criminals are, and how difficult it must be to become accepted again. I know that was not the point of the article, but the action of breaking bread and sharing meals is such a universal idea that it seems to connect all cultures and brings people to realize we are really not so different after all.